Giro d’Italia winner rode a bike made by Toronto-based company Cervélo SA

The winner of the Giro d’Italia rode a Cervélo P5 (above) (Image: Cervélo)

Last weekend, Ryder Hesjedal won the Giro d’Italia road cycling race, and he rode a Toronto brand’s bicycle to win it. Cervélo’s P5 (seen above) isn’t the company’s first high-performance product, nor is this the brand’s first instance of media recognition—it was in the spotlight in 2003 for sponsoring Team CSC, a Dutch outfit that rivaled superstar Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France (and, subsequently, members of Cervélo-affiliated Team CSC were accused of doping, so there’s that press to remember as well). This particular model seems impractical for city coasting, but should you want to travel around Europe racing in unforgiving lycra/spandex outfits, or become a regular at your local velodrome, then it could be the bike for you. $4,500–$6,000.

Duke’s Cycle, 625 Queen St. W., 416-504-6138

Correction: This is a road racing bike, and it should not be used in a velodrome.